Now that I am retired, I do a lot walking and biking. When I read meters for a public gas & electric company, I carried Halt. I'd like to buy an oc spray that is more effective than that. I understand no spray is a sure thing, but which one do you recommend for discouraging an aggressive dog?

Pretty much any of them. I"m carrying Sabre Blue on my duty belt right now, but I"ve carried other stuff. Any good LEO suppler can recommend something, although what they'll recommend is probably what they have in stock.

The PO used to issue HALT but I found it had a weak stream and not nearly enough pepper in it. The animal literally had to be eating your leg before you could reach it with the spray.
Back in the 80's when I was on a foot route, I carried cop issue MACE which worked lots better. I'd look for a product that will reach 20' if possible.

You're exactly right when you say that no spray is a sure thing; I've personally seen it work wonderfully...and also fail miserably, with both dogs as well as people. That said, you might check out the world's most underrated knife company, Cold Steel. They have a little gem they call "Inferno". Give it a look at www.coldsteel.com.

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Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."

That said, you might check out the world's most underrated knife company, Cold Steel.

I hope you're kidding...

Seriously though, they put out a lot of hype that most people in the knife world just amuse themselves with. They have some good stuff, I own a few of their knives and a tomahawk, but they rely on good marketing and the idea that big is better.

BlackFeather: No, I'm totally serious. I won't delve into this too deeply, not wanting to hijack this thread. But, in my opinion, Cold Steel is, hands down, the best knife company going. I see no other knife manufacturers giving any of the same "hype" that they do, while simultaneously backing it up with videos that backup their claims. CS does this, and has openly dared other blade makers to do likewise, for over 20 years. No takers thus far.

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Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."

Many of the tests they show are required to pass a Journeyman Bladesmiths test. There are many custom makers who produce better knives in batches of 100's. They also market a lot more lower end steels and for quite a while didn't report their carbon steels. They primarily use 1055, which for most people is too low in carbon. That's all I'm going to say on the matter, again, not to hijack the thread. Check out Busse, Becker, and Rat knives as well as Ontario.

I have a party-size can of Fox in the bottle holder on my bike. Works wonders.

Don't forget to pull the pin.

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"It was people who upheld their duties to their office, the constitution, and the public by opposing Hitler who were called traitors"
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"...a historian asked what had happened to the German people for them to accept a criminal government. Unfortunately, nothing needed to happen. In nations across the world people accept government crime."
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"In democracies as well as dictatorships, subordinates illegally obey their rulers. Subordinates who remain true to their oaths of office by opposing their rulers are rare."

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